Lele Kawa: Fire Rituals of Pele

By Taupōuri Tangarō

The mele contained in this book are fundamental to hula Pele and reflect a vast and dynamic Hawai'i worldview. These mele have been preserved for centuries via oral traditions, the sacred hula of Hawai'i, and, more recently, in twentieth-century written texts. Lele Kawa offers original translations and provocative interpretations of the Pele literature from a practitioner's perspective. The author's work is based on generations of ancestral connections and years of immersion in the fiery 'aiha'a dances of the hula Pele.

Hear the mele in its entirety at kamehamehapublishing.org.